Fresh Loaf

See our complete — and constantly updated — Voter’s Guide here.

Historically, the Fulton County sheriff’s race is won in the Democratic primary, with the general election a mere footnote. There’s little reason to think that won’t also be the case this year.

Democratic nominee Theodore Jackson, a retired career FBI agent and former interim sheriff, is both qualified and capable of running the troubled department with a professionalism and effectiveness that was beyond the reach of soon-to-be-ex-Sheriff Myron Freeman.

Jackson’s opponent, Republican Michael Rary, also has a strong resume; as Fulton’s former chief marshal, Rary headed a department that provided security to the county’s lower courts and served magistrate warrants. (more…)

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Looks like Michael Rary is searching for a way to gain attention in his underdog race for the Fulton County sheriff’s office. The Republican nominee is proposing to privatize the county’s troubled jail.

Rary faces former FBI official Theodore Jackson in the Nov. 3 General Election. Jackson, who ran the jail briefly under a court order, defeated incumbent Sheriff Myron Freeman in an Aug. 5 Democratic runoff.

Rary’s press release comes after the jump. (more…)

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Here’s a quick rundown on the July 15 Georgia primary results. The big news was generated by high-stakes runoffs:

* U.S. senator: The two experienced Democrats — Vernon Jones and Joe Martin — vanquished three first-time candidates and will face each other in an Aug. 5 runoff. With 91 percent of precincts counted, DeKalb CEO Jones won 40 percent of the vote, while Martin got 35 percent. Martin — who entered the race late and has been criticized for a lackluster campaign — may have a slight edge in the runoff: He has more money in the bank, he seems more likely to pick up support from supporters of other candidates, and his largely white base historically shows up for runoffs better than does Jones’ base of black voters. What does Jones have going for him? A runoff in the contest for who will replace him as DeKalb CEO could spur turnout in his home county. The winner takes on Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss in November.

* DeKalb County CEO: The contest for the most powerful local government post in the state heads for a runoff as well, although DeKalb Commissioner Burrell Ellis turned out an impressive showing with 46 percent of the vote. No surprise that he’ll face well-liked state Rep. Stan Watson in the runoff. But a 20 point head start has gotta give Ellis the edge. (more…)

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Since information about the Fulton County Sheriff’s race is hard to come by, we thought we’d draw your attention to a spirited discussion brewing on the comment section of our recent article about the race. Two of the actual candidates, J.D. Farmer and Patrick Labat, weigh into the online conversation, with Farmer sparring with commentors.

And candidate Aubrey Osteen has posted a response to our online Voter Guide about the sheriff’s race that appeared last week here on Fresh Loaf.

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All nine Democratic candidates for Fulton County sheriff took part in a Thursday morning Atlanta Press Club debate that will air on GPB-TV Sunday night. But we’ll try to fill you in about these guys as best we can now. The sheriff’s race has been surprisingly below-the radar, but some details can be gleaned from the candidates’ appearances, websites and campaign literature.

Here are the candidates: (more…)

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If you still don’t know which of the nine(!) Democratic candidates for Fulton sheriff to vote for, you’re not alone. Few county residents could ID any of the challengers to incumbent Myron Freeman out of a police line-up.

Your opportunities for getting acquainted with any of these guys are limited, but it can be done if you’re willing to go out of your way. Your next chance is Tuesday evening at a debate in College Park. So far, seven candidates have confirmed they’ll be there, including Democrats Ronald Brandy, Frank Brown, Curtis Farmer, Theodore Jackson, Patrick Labat and Charles Rambo, as well as the lone Republican, Michael Rary. So far unconfirmed are Aubrey Osteen, Charles Shelton and, of course, Freeman himself, who has not taken part in any candidate gatherings.

Sponsored by an online media outlet called Exceptional Radio, the event begins at 7 p.m. at the city auditorium, 3631 Main Street. We’re guessing you’ll want to get there on the early side because it looks as if the sheriff debate will precede one for Fulton Clerk of Superior Court.

If you can’t make that event, your next chance is Thursday. The Atlanta Press Club is sponsoring an hour-long debate, from 10:30-11:30 a.m., in the Georgia Public Broadcasting studio at 260 14th St. The public is invited to sit in the audience, but all questions will be asked by an onstage panel of journalists. The debate won’t be televised until the evening of July 13, a mere two days before the primary.
(more…)

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Interested in learning more about the men running for Fulton County Sheriff? And are you unemployed? Then you’ll be able to attend the next candidate forum this Monday, bright and early at 9:30 a.m. Sponsored by the Concerned Black Clergy of Metro Atlanta, the event will be held at the Vicars Community Center, conveniently located at 838 Cascade Road in southwest Atlanta.

Lest you think this is yet another poorly publicized sheriff debate at a weird time in a far-away locale that’s part of a larger scheme to prevent Fulton voters from learning about their next potential sheriff, guess again. The CBC holds a forum every Monday morning at that site; apparently the group couldn’t come up with a more interesting topic this week, so it invited the sheriff candidates.

Wise-cracking aside and with due respect for the CBC for holding this event, why is it that the race for the sheriff of the largest county in the state – a position responsible for reforming a troubled and expensive jail – can’t seem to rate a stand-alone debate at a centrally located venue? Is public apathy that severe?

We’d like to invite readers to post their impressions of the nine(!) Democratic candidates. Hell, we’ll even invite the candidates themselves to post brief messages here explaining why they deserve our vote. Please share your thoughts. Anyone?

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The AJC reports today that the death of a Fulton County jail inmate is being investigated by the FBI.

According to the story, jail officials, including Fulton County Sheriff Myron Freeman, have been tight-lipped. It goes on to say:

But a jail expert who is monitoring the jail under a court order confirmed that the federal investigators are looking into the March death of inmate Richard Glasco. “They want more information. They want to know everything about it,” Calvin Lightfoot said.

In the early 2000s, the jail was rife with allegations of abuse of inmates. At that time, the facility was under the “control” of then-Sheriff Jacquelyn Barrett. Current Sheriff Myron Freeman hasn’t exactly improved the jail’s image. Expect the plentiful spread of candidates challenging media-shy Freeman for the sheriff’s seat to jump all over this.

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From the Fulton County Sheriff’s office:

Hello. Sheriff Myron E. Freeman would like to invite you to a special reception he is hosting this week to introduce the new Chief Jailer to the community. Mr. Edward McNeil was sworn in as Chief Jailer in early March.

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Below are some of my favorite blog comments from recent days:

What we are suggesting is that they have to make the case to YOU for the spending. Putting the power of the spending in the hands of the true local control, the taxpayer.

— State Rep. Earl Erhart, R-Powder Springs, attempts a “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for” when he suggests that a state tax system overhaul proposed by Speaker Glenn Richardson puts power in the hands of local taxpayers. In fact, the plan would increase the power of state representatives at the expense of local government.

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Since Myron can’t put more than 8 words together on the fly or get someone to answer the questions for him without reinforcing our assessment of his ineptitude, he commissioned the flyer to talk for him without any chance for rebuttal.

— South Fulton Guy is clearly not a fan of Fulton County Sheriff Myron Freeman. This comment appeared under a post by Andre Walker at Georgia Politics Unfiltered about a newsletter Freeman mailed out to Fulton County residents.

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I’ve lived in a city with laissez fair zoning codes. It’s name is Houston, and it is a disgusting but excellent example of the failure of developers and businesses to properly grow a city and create an inviting, satisfying living environment.

— Steven P. Faust, commenting on Fresh Loaf, about a proposed high-rise development in Piedmont Park

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